If the bottom of your tree looked like a barren, giftless wasteland on Christmas morning, it’s likely due to a mix of bad winter weather and an influx of last-minute shoppers that needed presents shipped, according to both UPS and FedEx.

The situation seems entirely plausible as more and more American consumers do their shopping online for the holidays. This, of course, puts Amazon in an uncomfortable position, considering its usually excellent track record of getting its customers’ purchases to their doorstep in no more than two days.

To win back some goodwill, the company is refunding shipping charges and offering up a $20 gift card to those whose packages are tied up in shipping warehouses and didn’t arrive on time. That’s not much of a consolation to those who have loved ones visiting just long enough to spend Christmas Day together.

“Amazon fulfillment centers processed and tendered customer orders to delivery carriers on time for holiday delivery. We are reviewing the performance of the delivery carriers,” Amazon told VentureBeat in a statement.

UPS, on the other hand, said it decided not to force its drivers to brave the cold weather yesterday, leaving them instead to spend time with their own loved ones. (Good on you, UPS!) It did issue a statement this morning that indicated shipping schedules would return to normal as of today: “UPS experienced heavy holiday volume and is making every effort to get packages to their destination as quickly as possible. UPS has resumed normally scheduled service on Dec. 26.”

The unfortunate shipping delays further enforce Amazon’s desire to cut out the middle man and deliver packages on its own via personal delivery drones — although the technology (as well as approval by the FAA) is years away from coming to fruition.

Personally, I don’ think Santa and his Reindeer would mind having to share airspace with Amazon drones if it means people gets their packages on time.

]]>0Christmas gifts didn’t make it on time? Amazon wants to make amendsBlack Friday roundup: The best deals on what to read & watchhttp://venturebeat.com/2013/11/29/black-friday-book-deals/
http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/29/black-friday-book-deals/#commentsFri, 29 Nov 2013 17:07:22 +0000http://venturebeat.com/?p=866509Check out our round up off all the best deals for things you can watch or read today.
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Today is Black Friday, the unofficial shopping holiday where people will stand in line for hours and drive all over town just to buy a few items at an exceptionally good price.

Fortunately, we do have the Internet to eliminate most of that running around, so we’ve decided to do a short roundup of all the e-book, digital comics, and movie deals we’ve come across online today.

Amazon has a slew of popular Kindle books on sale for $1.99 today. I’ve noticed that the majority of them are movie adaptations, including Warm Bodies, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sideways, Let Me In, and several more. There’s also a selection of $4 biographies and up to 94 percent off combination digital/print magazine subscriptions ($3-$6 each for a year).

Slashfilm has a good round-up of physical DVDs and Blu-ray movies on sale today.

And finally, Amazon has some of its most popular TV and movie titles on sale for up to 75 percent off the regular price. That includes the first few seasons of Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, most of these are Lightning Deals, meaning you have a small window of time to scoop them up before they’re gone.

More information:

More information:

]]>0Black Friday roundup: The best deals on what to read & watchPayPal just made gift cards way better (by accepting them)http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/27/paypal-just-made-gift-cards-way-better-by-accepting-them/
http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/27/paypal-just-made-gift-cards-way-better-by-accepting-them/#commentsWed, 27 Nov 2013 15:47:44 +0000http://venturebeat.com/?p=866075At any given time after a holiday or gift giving occasion I’ll have at least three to five gift cards — many that are issued by credit card companies — that typically sit in a drawer for months before I realize I should probably put them to use. However, thanks to today’s announcement by PayPal, […]
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At any given time after a holiday or gift giving occasion I’ll have at least three to five gift cards — many that are issued by credit card companies — that typically sit in a drawer for months before I realize I should probably put them to use.

However, thanks to today’s announcement by PayPal, I can cut out the part where I forget those gift cards exist. The company is now allowing its users to load prepaid gift cards from Visa, American Express, MasterCard, or Discover into their PayPal accounts to spend on online purchases. This is great news, since tons of online stores won’t accept these types of prepaid gift cards as a legitimate payment.

The move comes just as the gift giving season begins and days before the unofficial annual “Cyber Monday” shopping day following Thanksgiving.

This makes those prepaid gift cards a little more appealing in place of an actual gift (you know, the ones that usually require thought?) because I’m now much more likely to buy something with it soon after I get it.

More information:

More information:

]]>0PayPal just made gift cards way better (by accepting them)My stolen iPhone could end up in your stocking this Christmashttp://venturebeat.com/2012/12/10/smartphone-theft/
http://venturebeat.com/2012/12/10/smartphone-theft/#commentsMon, 10 Dec 2012 18:21:15 +0000http://venturebeat.com/?p=586186With the holidays approaching, smartphone theft is on the rise -- as I discovered recently when I was mugged at knifepoint for my iPhone 5.
]]> On Thursday at 8:30 p.m., I was mugged at knifepoint in downtown San Francisco.

I must have appeared to be the safe target: In one hand, I carried an expensive-looking tote bag, and in another, a pair of strappy sandals I had planned to wear to a holiday party that evening.

Within minutes of ascending from the BART station, the small gang approached me. From the corner of my eye, I caught the glint of a small metal object. The oldest in the group, a skinny teenage boy in a wool beanie, demanded my cellphone. To his unabashed delight, I handed over a brand-new iPhone 5; satisfied, he and his pals scuttled off into the night.

In San Francisco, a city filled with commuters and tourists, iPhone owners are walking targets for thieves. According to the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit, a cellphone is involved in over half the street crime in the United States, a statistic that is likely far higher in the Bay Area. We frequently pull out our smartphones to check email, get directions, or play music, totally oblivious that we’re putting ourselves at risk for petty and violent crime. These devices are so ubiquitous, and we rely on them so much, that we often forget basic safety protocols.

I recall racing down the city streets after my muggers, screaming profanities, enraged about the loss of my most prized possession. It sounds crazy, but I half-believed that one look at my mascara-streaked face and they would understand that all my music, contacts, sensitive work information — my life – was contained on that candy-colored device.

The two cops who subsequently showed up to take my statement were nonchalant. My story is far from unique. Police estimate that cellphone theft is becoming more prevalent in the run-up to the holiday season. People are unknowingly purchasing stolen phones as gifts, and buses are brimming with easy targets, such as drunken holiday partygoers and shoppers laden with heavy bags.

The most common robberies are the “snatch and grab” kind, where cellphones are pried from the hands of commuters. In San Francisco, police launched a transit ad campaign, warning folks to “be smart with your smartphone.” Similar warnings went out in Oakland, where the police reported nearly 1,300 cell phone robberies this year alone.

“iPad and iPhone theft is the most common because there is a market for it,” said Jason Hui, an San Francisco Police Department patrolman working in one of the city’s residential districts. Given the prevalence of iPhone theft, Hui and many of his colleagues have become self-taught experts on cellphone tracking. Many smartphones are equipped with cloud-based GPS technology that helps the police track stolen devices, wipe sensitive data, and even set off an alarm.

Hui points out that there is a thriving underground market for these devices, but many stolen phones are sold on legitimate sites online. On Craigslist, perform a simple search for “iPhone 5″ and you’ll find dozens of listings for new and nearly new devices that sell at close to retail prices. My barely-used phone will likely net over $600. And for deal-seekers who purchase a phone on a site like eBay and Amazon, there’s almost no way to discern whether it’s a stolen device.

“Many of these phones [sold online] change hands multiple times,” said Hui, who explained that you’d need a search warrant to track the phone’s electronic serial number to determine its original owner. If you’re considering buying online, one user guide post on eBay advises the following:

Many sellers, especially those with little or no feedback, will say, “I can’t display or tell you the phone for security reasons.” That’s nonsense — you need the ESN [electronic serial number] to make sure the phone is not stolen or lost and found (which many of them are). Phones that are stolen or reported as lost have the same effect: they can’t be activated; that ESN is dead. If they (the seller) refuse to give you the ESN then don’t bid or buy.

San Francisco’s authorities view cellphone theft as a grave — but resolvable — problem. On Tuesday, the police will launch a committee hearing to discuss ways the public can protect itself. Scott Wiener, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, will lead the hearing.

Wiener revealed to SF Appeal that he was particularly concerned about a spike in thefts in residential neighborhoods during daylight hours — “very scary incidents,” he said. “I often use the analogy that you wouldn’t walk down the street carrying two, three hundred dollars withdrawn from an ATM,” SFPD police chief Greg Suhr said in a recent media interview.

Suhr stressed that the silver lining is that, with tracking technologies and the aid of the general public, the police “often get [cellphones] back.”

Feeling skeptical and somewhat cynical, I tweeted to an audience of several thousand Twitter followers, asking about lost or stolen phones that were subsequently returned. Within minutes, I received dozens of short stories about how lost phones eventually made their way home (see a snapshot of the responses, left). San Francisco resident Ashley Mayer told me she was able to retrieve a stolen phone when a random taxi driver went into “Hollywood car chase mode,” and followed her muggers through South San Francisco’s bustling streets. It’s a thrilling story — read Mayer’s blog post here.

Miracles and random acts of kindness aside, there are several ways to recover a lost or stolen smartphone, or at least limit your damages.

Ways to wipe data, track, or disable a lost or stolen phone

Apple users: Sign up with iCloud and use the “Find my iPhone feature” to search for a device as it moves through the city. If your phone is missing, do this immediately as GPS tracking will not work if the phone is switched off.

Android users: LookOut Mobile lets you remotely lock your phone from the web to keep out prying eyes. Cool features include a “scream” button designed to help you find a missing phone (and freak out robbers) and a signal flare that automatically saves its last location when the battery was low. The “wipe” capability will ensure that sensitive corporate data never sees the light of day.

Lose a company-issued phone?Zenprise, a red-hot mobile security company acquired by Citrix, works with large organizations like the Boston Red Sox to ensure its employees won’t jeopardize sensitive data. IT departments will be alerted if an employee’s phone gets hacked, and they can wipe data from any device remotely.

Pick one of the leading wireless carriers: The big four — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile — launched a database in November to track, report, and block stolen devices. They claim this will prevent stolen phones from being used on these carriers’ networks.

Safety measures

In the aftermath of my mugging, police relayed to me the following precautions:

Keep expensive items hidden: Make sure your cellphone isn’t visible when you’re walking down the street, especially if it’s an iPhone or tablet.

Set a passcode: This will ensure that thieves won’t be able to access your personal data or rack up charges for long-distance calls.

Buy gadget-specific insurance: This will ensure you can avoid the headache of arguing with your insurance company. A company called Protect Your Bubble claims it can replace a stolen or lost phone within 24 hours.

Be street smart. This piece of advice is an oldie but a goodie: Don’t walk home alone through a dangerous neighborhood!

Let your iPhone work for you: Write down your iCloud username and password on a piece of paper and pass it on to a family-member or trusted friend. If you are abducted or go missing, this will allow them to track your device.

The only way to stop the demand for stolen smartphones is for the major carriers to render such phones as useless as an empty wallet and for the police to continue cracking down on crime. In Europe, stolen phones are blacklisted based on their 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity number. Read more here about phone blacklisting, and why it’s a losing proposition in the United States.

]]>0My stolen iPhone could end up in your stocking this ChristmasMicrosoft popping up 32 temp stores for Windows 8 blitz, holiday seasonhttp://venturebeat.com/2012/09/10/microsoft-holiday-stores/
http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/10/microsoft-holiday-stores/#commentsMon, 10 Sep 2012 19:37:29 +0000http://venturebeat.com/?p=528483Just in times for its launch of Windows 8, Microsoft announced plans to put 32 temporary retail stores across the country this fall.
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Just in time for its launch of Windows 8, Microsoft announced plans to set up 32 temporary retail stores across the country this fall.

The move is likely a two-part plan, with the first and most obvious reason being to capitalize on the holiday shopping season. The second reason is likely related to the handful of big product debuts the company is making.

Not only is Microsoft releasing the hotly anticipated Windows 8 operating system, but the company is also releasing its Windows 8-powered tablet, Microsoft Surface. And with the world already smitten with the iPad and new Kindle Fire HD, Microsoft is going to need a staging ground for people to come play with the new products. The company is also prepping for a new generation of smartphones running Windows Phone 8, which they presumably will also get to play with at this temporary stores.

The popup store locations are pretty evenly spread out, with a focus more or less on malls in metropolitan areas. We don’t know exactly when Microsoft will begin opening up the pop-up locations, but we’re assuming they’ll happen shortly after the Windows 8 launch day and have a selection of products similar to what you’d find in one of the permanent Microsoft retail stores.

This holiday shopping season produced winners and losers for retailers, the entertainment industry and restaurants. Some companies — including Amazon and Walmart — recorded high sales numbers and increased customer satisfaction. Others didn’t fare as well.

With record-high Cyber Monday and Black Friday sales, online retailers came out as winners this year. The music industry, especially because of the sales of holiday music, had a strong season as well. Given that many people flock to the movies for Christmas, its no surprise that box office sales were up more than 60 percent for the Christmas weekend. And smartphones had a fabulous holiday season too because of a 140 percent increase in iPhone and Android activations.

But not every company benefited from the holiday season. According to Reuters, Sears’ and Kmart’s sales are down 5 percent from this time last year. Sears Corporation owns both retailers and announced Wednesday that it will be closing many Kmart and Sears stores next year. Kmart was hit hardest in its electronics department, which faces stiff competition from Walmart and Target. Sears is suffering from empty stores and lower quality shopping experiences.

For most businesses, this year’s sales figures for the holidays were strong. But for stores that entered the fourth quarter struggling to stay strong in the marketplace, this shopping season didn’t offer much help. For more stats on the holiday winners and losers, check out the infographic below.